Dancing is Dangerous
by sarabistarfire
Summary: My take on a ball story and KD angst. Oneshot, possibly a twoshot. T for highly charged emotions, though the rating system baffles me.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: To all following my other story The Fate of Commoners- I am working on a new chapter, but I'm stuck at the moment so I've also got a few oneshots in the works. And this just needed to be written. There might be more to this at some point in the future, but fluff is sort of beyond me at the moment.**

**Also, I am in no way shape or form Tamora Pierce. But I try to remain as faithful to her characters as possible.**

Kel was breathless. That was the only way she knew of to describe it. It was quite a different sensation from being out of breath- that she had experienced time and time again. Running up the hill to the palace during her page training, jousting with Lord Raoul, fighting Stenmun Kinslayer…

But, no two ways about it, this was entirely unlike any of those things, she thought as she was whirled around the dance floor. She could feel his arm as it brushed against her as she twirled, his one hand steady on her waist, the other clasped with hers. Part of her imagined she could even feel his gaze as she looked up into his eyes. In the space of a second her mouth went dry, her cheeks flamed and her knees went weak. She had to look away- the feeling was just too intense. Some inner part of her knew exactly what the feeling was, though she had never felt it so strongly before.

It was desire.

She had had no idea Dom was _such_ a good dancer. In fact, her more sensible self thought, had she known this fact beforehand or guessed what effect it might have on her, she would have refused to dance with him entirely. But it was clearly entirely too late for that.

Sure, she'd liked him from afar. They'd flirted, joked, fought alongside each other. But that all seemed so… theoretical compared to this. She wished… gods, she barely knew what she wished for, just that she wished… why couldn't she think straight? Perhaps this was why court ladies were so silly, she thought. How ironic that she, so clearheaded on a battlefield would go completely to pieces on the dance floor.

Part of her willed the music to stop, soon, before the other, treacherous part of her brain could think any more dangerous thoughts, like whether he would dance with her again, how to find a secluded spot in the gardens, where his rooms were in relation to hers…

No. She could not, would not do this. She had to be strong, emotionless, a calm, glassy lake- but somehow even the Yamanis were failing her now.

She was so wrapped up in her inner battles that she barely noticed that he was leading her off the dance floor until he ushered her to a chair on the room's periphery.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern in his voice. She shivered as his hand touched her shoulder.

"Of course." She scowled inwardly at the slightly high pitch to her voice, but at least it didn't tremble. "Its, um, its just hot. I- could you get me something to drink? I need to sit."

Gods, now she sounded _exactly_ like an empty-headed court lady, she groaned to herself as he walked away. What in the name of Mithros was _wrong_ with her?

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, taking inventory. Was she in love with him, was that it? She had thought it was just a crush, albeit a prolonged one. A crush was relatively harmless, something pleasant to daydream about during long rides and boring meetings. But no crush could make her feel like this, even Cleon hadn't-

The thought of her last romance, and its ending less than a year before, made her sober. Despite the fact that it had ended well, she knew that she and Cleon would never have the same close friendship again. And anyway, Dom probably didn't feel anything more for her than he did towards any of the numerous ladies he danced with. She needed to get a hold of herself and fast, before she got hurt.

* * *

Dom suppressed the urge to drown himself in the ice-filled punchbowl. Or run out of the room and hide in a linen closet. Or bang his head against a wall. Repeatedly.

He was an idiot.

Why had he even asked her to dance? He had danced with ladies so often that it hadn't occurred to him that this one would be so… educational. Somehow the dance had transformed a friendship, a flirtation, an idly considered possibility into something entirely different. He had had to fight the urge to pull her closer than was at all proper, to touch her face, to smell her hair, all things that would probably cause him to be hunted down by Lady Alanna or his cousin and her knight and squire friends. At one point the look in her eyes had given him hope, hope that made warmth spread through his body and his heart jump into his throat.

There were no two ways about it, he was completely enthralled with the woman enclosed in the circle of his arms. And he had no idea what to do.

His joy and hope had vanished when she looked away. Mithros. His interest had shown, Kel had realized something he had barely noticed himself, and she wasn't happy. She didn't feel the same- probably she thought him frivolous, a flirt, or even a cad. She was right, after all. He came nowhere close to deserving, well, _anything_ from her.

Although the song was only half over, he led her off of the floor, ending the dance that had obviously caused her so much awkwardness and discomfort. She made an excuse and he had fled, heart dropping further with each step away from her.

He should have stuck with court ladies, he thought bitterly. They were pretty, vapid, shallow beings and one was enough like the other that they were easy to dismiss and move on. Unlike Kel, a girl with so much heart it led her to put herself in harm's way for the sake of others, so talented that it often made him jealous, so strong that she faced insult after insult, injustice after injustice with a smile. She was his friend and his comrade in a way that no court lady ever could be. He really didn't want to ruin all that with romance.

But the dance had taught him that there was no help for it. He couldn't just be her comrade. He wanted her, needed her. Gods, he might just be in love with her.

It really was ironic. Of all the times and places to find out. He had ridden patrols with her, eaten meals, done chores with her even traveled behind enemy lines to aid her. And in the space of just one dance his hopes had been realized and then dashed.

He filled a cup with punch, willing his hands to be steady and his mind to stop racing as he walked back towards Kel. Damage control, that was what the situation called for. He needed to shrug this off, try to salvage some chance of continuing their friendship as normal. He smiled, handed her a cup and made a joke, trying his best to act as if nothing had changed between them. As much as it hurt, she was far too good for a rakehell like him anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, I just couldn't leave them like that. All the same, this is not terribly fluffy. But I hope you enjoy.**

Kel sighed gratefully as she drank the punch Dom had brought.

"Is that better?"

He's as gallant as ever, she thought. Part of her appreciated it, but the other part wished he would stop pretending. She was no lady, and it was only a matter of time before a real lady caught his eye.

"Oh, yes, thank you," she murmured the polite response expected of her like a good diplomat's daughter, words giving no insight into her real thoughts or feelings- the hurt and disappointment of knowing that she wanted to have…something with him but that it was impossible. She didn't dare look into his eyes, fearing they might give her away.

"Kel?" He touched her arm lightly and she jumped, not expecting it. She was being ridiculous, she knew. She was past even being mad at herself for it. Instead she felt the walls of the ballroom closing in as a lump grew in her throat. She knew that she had to leave, now, to save face. Go be with Jump and her sparrows, practice her glaive, anything to get Dom's voice and touch out of her head.

"Yes?"

"You don't look well. Would you like to take a walk or…"

She cut him off at the suggestion of a walk- she couldn't bear any more pretend romance that would only end in disappointment. "No, I'm not feeling well. Actually, I think I'll go back to my rooms and sleep. I'm not used to all of this dancing and socializing- not like you." She put a smile on her face, weak and watery as it was.

"Then, my lady, please allow me to escort you to your chambers."

Her blood went even colder at the thought of him near her rooms than it had when he had suggested a walk. "No, I mean- Dom, that's really not necessary."

"No, I insist. I wouldn't desert a friend in need." He hauled her up by one arm. "Come on, Lady Knight. I'll make sure you get home alright."

Grudgingly, Kel resigned herself to her escort as they moved towards the door. Why was he being so nice? It wasn't helping at all. Even worse, she noticed that their exit drew the gazes of several people in the room, including several ladies, who glared. No. Its not like that, she thought at them helplessly. It never could or _would_ be like that. It didn't matter one bit that he was with her now, walking silently through the winding halls- doubtless he would be back to romance those court ladies as soon as he had dropped her off at her rooms. Maybe at the end of the night he would kiss one of them- sooner or later, he would probably marry one of them…

These depressing thoughts turned the lump in her throat into a burning sensation in her eyes and nose. She had to stop or she'd be weeping soon. And weeping was something that she utterly _refused_ to do in front of any of her male friends, much less Dom. If there was one thing she couldn't afford, it was for them to see her weak and vulnerable- that kind of thing was for the court ladies they chased after, not the Lady Knight they might have to take orders from later. It was her curse, to want to be a woman to some, like Dom, when it mattered, but to be too afraid to show it for fear they would lose what respect they had for her.

By the time glimpsed her door at the end of the hall, she had nearly succeeding in getting her feelings under control. She took her arm from his and tried to sound cheery. "Thank you, Dom. I think I'll alright from here. Have a good night." She barely heard his reply as she whirled and walked purposefully to her door. But as soon as she shut the door behind her, her control collapsed. She could feel the tears she had been holding back running down her cheeks as she sat down on her bed, but it didn't mater now. She was alone, it was dark and it was ok to cry.

* * *

Dom stood at the end of the hallway, completely nonplussed. Kel had looked pale and wan as he guided her through the halls to her room- it worried him. She was hardly ever ill- perhaps she was upset? Her falsely cheery goodbye clearly told him she didn't want his help- though she would never ask for help willingly- but at the same time he wondered if he should check up on her. He might not deserve anything from her, but he was her friend after all. He started to stride after her.

But he stopped as a new thought occurred to him. Could _he _be the reason that she was upset? If so, he was in trouble. He had felt the glares of his cousin and a few of her friends as they left the ballroom, all of them thinking the worst of him, none of them trusting his intentions. He knew what they thought- that he would try to seduce her, take advantage of her. That could _never_ happen, he wanted to scream at them. She wasn't interested and he wouldn't, couldn't ever treat Kel that way. He was just acting like the good soldier and a gentleman, escorting her home out of concern for a friend. He would never try to distress her, much less hurt her.

But he seemed done so anyway. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. It was all his fault. If only he could've kept a hold on himself, he thought angrily. If he had never asked her to dance, never let his feelings show, then he would never have upset her. He wondered if she would ever speak to him again. He didn't know if he could bear it if she didn't. His previous flirts had often snubbed and avoided him for weeks after their relationships ended. Other times the ladies had spent time flirting with other men in order to prove to him that they were no longer interested, a tactic he severely disliked. A picture of Kel, dressed up and flirting with one of her knight friends appeared in his treacherous brain and his stomach clenched in distate and misery. He should probably just leave her alone, he thought, and hope that in the morning they could pretend that none of this had ever happened.

The muffled sound of a sob reached his ears. He looked up, startled. It seemed to be coming from the slightly ajar door through which Kel had just disappeared. He strode down the hall and stopped in front of her door. The sound of another sob confirmed that the sound was indeed coming from the room, from her. He nudged the door open to reveal a crying Kel on the bed.

For a long moment they started at each other. Then he did the only thing he could do- closed the distance between them and pulled her up into his arms in a strong hug.

She fitted into his arms perfectly, just as she had when they had danced. He could feel the wetness from her tears mark his shirt near the shoulder, but he didn't care. "Kel? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked her softly.

She pulled away slightly, not looking at him. "Its nothing."

"Like hell it is, Kel. I've never seen you cry before." He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him. "What is it?" he asked gently. "You can tell me."

She looked away again. After a moment, she croaked, "I'm in love with someone, but he doesn't feel the same."

Funny, Dom thought ruefully, I'm in the exact same situation.

Then it hit him like lightning. Kel was much too sensible a girl to be upset over something as small as not wanting to hurt a friend's feelings. What if he had misinterpreted the signals earlier? What if she did have feelings for him and was too afraid to show it? It was possible that she was just as confused as he was.

There was only one way to find out, Dom thought as he leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers.


End file.
